4 Health and Fitness Tips, For You!

help me lose weight

The US has seen a massive increase in the amount of people considered obese or overweight by the medical community. It is now more and more commonly known as an obesity epidemic. We find ourselves being battered by pharmaceutical companies selling  “quick fix” pills, powders, and lotions that do nothing to actually help people take the fat off and keep it off. Of course the same can be said of the diet industry as well. There are so many different diets going around now you could pick one a month and in a years time still have more to choose from.

What is really needed are some sensible proven weight loss tips that people can implement no matter what their present physical condition is. That said let’s dive right in.

#1  Drink more water- All too often Americans are borderline dehydrated, so they end up eating when they are actually just thirsty, and they aren’t getting enough water so their bodies are working on the water starvation reflex and not flushing the toxins and junk out.

#2  Eat more often- I bet you thought I was going to say eat less. While it is true that to lose weight you need to eat less calories than you expend…you need to eat more often to get the metabolic furnace stoked up and burning right. Get it out of starvation mode. So start the day off with breakfast. Even an instant breakfast drink and a piece of fruit as we head out the door in the morning. Eat less calories. Eat more often. Don’t get hungry, your body wont win against hunger, avoid being hungry by eating small calories often.

#3  Move more- You need to be moving more. Use the stairs rather than the elevator, park farther out from the office or the store, go for a walk around the block, go dancing, play with your kids. Make it fun. Running is not the only way to burn more calories. Do SOMETHING. And if you can then pick up a good workout routine.

#4  Finally, determine  your “Why”- Decide why you want to discard fat. Make your reason big enough to motivate you through the slumps that invariably happen. Have enough “whys” that you will be able to pull from like a deck of cards, or an ammunition pack. If one doesn’t work to get you motivated one day, then move to the next one, until you find the reason that will motivate you.

Personally my reason when I first started were, to get healthy, live longer, look better, prove to myself I could, prove to others I could, be an inspiration, to feel better about myself.

 

54 Massive Tips to Lose Weight

helpful tips for losing weight

Try to add as many of these tips to your daily routine, and you will surely be well on the way to a slimmer, healthier you. We don’t get fat overnight so you should expect it to take a certain amount of time to lose that weight again, but you shouldn’t give up! Persistence, Determination and Grit – They should be your watchwords. These tips work if you stick to your plan!

1.    Eliminate one tablespoon of fat a day and you will lose 10 pounds in a year.
2.    Avoid strange fad diet if you can’t eat that way for the rest of your life, don’t waste your time or your health.
3.    Limit alcohol consumption – each serving contains 100 to 150 calories.
4.    Eat fruit at least twice a day.
5.    Keep a food diary about your food choices, indicating how hungry you are each time you eat. Pay particular attention to your level of hunger when you snack.
6.    Perform aerobic exercise a minimum of 30 minutes three times a week. Log this on your food diary. Aerobic means any exercise that increases your breathing and heart rate. Walking is fine! Do only what you can to begin with. If you have other health problems, consult your doctor before embarking on any strong physical exercise.
7.    Gradually increase the length and frequency of your workouts.
8.    Weigh yourself no more than twice a week. And do it in the morning after going to the bathroom it’s the most accurate reading.
9.    Give yourself a non-food reward for every 5 pounds lost.
10.    Slow down your eating speed, make meals last at least 20 minutes. Try eating with the other hand or taking a sip of water between bites.
11.    Use smaller plates.
12.    Bring your lunch to work at least three times a week.
13.    Start to strength train twice a week as your fitness improves. Building muscle increases your metabolism and forces your body to use fat, not muscle, when you’re cutting back on calories. Cut down on carbohydrates and stick to lean white meat and fish, and you will notice vast improvements here.
14.    Stop eating while watching television.
15.    Have someone else put away leftovers.
16.    Buy a good low-fat, low-calorie cookbook or magazine subscription.
17.    Try two new reduced-calorie recipes a month.
18.    IMPORTANT – Eat breakfast daily. This suppresses the appetite for most of the day and provides fuel for the brain while at work or looking after the kids! You will feel better and have more energy all day if you eat a low fat cereal in the morning.
19.    Don’t read while eating.
20.    Have a sweet treat once a week.
21.    Keep healthful snacks at home and at work.
22.    Limit your cheese consumption to reduce fat and saturated fat, use cheese and lunch meat with less than 5 grams of fat per ounce.
23.    Add calorie counting or fat-gram counting to your food diary for a few weeks if your weight loss is slowing down. Maybe you’re missing something.
24.    Substitute herbs and spices for salt.
25.    Shop for food when you are not hungry, and use a shopping list.
26.    Replace ground beef with ground turkey or soy crumbles in dishes such as spaghetti. Don’t skip the protein in your meals; find a leaner substitute.
27.    Eat three vegetables a day.
28.    Always eat sitting down.
29.    Request that your family and friends respect your efforts to lose weight and get fit, beware of loving sabotage.
30.    Take a walk when you’re stressed or angry.
31.    Eat two dairy products a day, be aware of your calcium intake. Select low-fat or nonfat dairy products to reduce fat calories.
32.    Order dressings and sauces on the side and apply them with a fork.
33.    Increase your fiber intake, chose whole-grain breads, cereals and pasta products, legumes, and raw fruits and vegetables.
34.    Add slow-down food to your meals, crunchy vegetables, a large glass of water, hot soup or beverages, or fresh fruit to fill you up.
35.    Cook with chicken broth, nonstick cooking spray, wine or water.
36.    Drink eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day.
37.    Shrink portion sizes of meats and starches, and pile on the vegetables.
38.    Ask how the food is prepared when ordering in a restaurant.
39.    Choose low-fat frozen yogurt or frozen juice bars instead of ice cream. Be careful of the portion size – these foods still have calories!
40.    Select clear broth- or tomato-based soups over white soups.
41.    Keep the junk foods out of sight in your home and workplace.
42.    Take walking shoes or a jump rope with you when you travel to keep up with your exercise.
43.    If you’re getting off track, try to pre-plan your food intake for the next three days by writing it down.
44.    Buy frozen diet dinners with 10 grams of fat or less and 800 milligrams of sodium or less.
45.    Avoid batter coating or breading.
46.    Use two egg whites in baking instead of one whole egg.
47.    Stretch during television commercials, arm circles, leg lifts, head tilts, etc.
48.    Eliminate the butter on your rolls or popcorn.
49.    Learn to say no gracefully when a friend or relative offers you a second helping.
50.    Choose pizza with vegetable toppings rather than high-fat meats, such as sausage and pepperoni.
51.    Ask for less cheese. Have you ever tried tomato pie?
52.    Choose cooking techniques that keep fat to a minimum, such as baking, grilling, broiling, roasting or steaming.
53.    Add more low-fat soy products to your diet for the soy protein and health benefits.
54.    Forgive yourself when you slip, and make the next food choice a healthy one.

Beating Food Cravings

How to beat food cravings

How to beat food cravingsEveryone, regardless of how disciplined they are with their diet, will from time to time fall victim to cravings for one food item or another. For people trying to lose weight, these cravings are even more of a challenge to deal with than for someone simply maintaining their weight. Regardless of whether or not you are trying to lose weight however, cravings can be the one thing that makes you break your normal dietary habits and overdo the calories you usually try to do without.

Most people know that getting some kind of exercise and eating healthy, low-fat foods is the key to maintaining good health, but with the hectic and hurried schedules so many people have these days, sometimes eating right and getting exercise can be easier said than done. The best way to insure against dietary disaster when you do get those cravings throughout the day is to plan ahead and use a little strategy.

For one thing, try to plan 5 to 6 small meals with one to be eaten around every 3 hours of the day and make it a point not to miss any of them. It takes an average of 2 ½ hours for the human body to digest a meal, so by the time you start to feel a craving coming on, it’s almost time for your next meal anyway.

Make it a point to drink plenty of water. Quite often, feelings of hunger between meals are really your body trying to signal thirst. By keeping a bottle of water with you all day and making it a point to take constant “sips” throughout the day, you will keep hydrated, feel better, and eliminate one common cause for cravings to happen.

When you are at home, always try to keep some fresh fruit on hand. If you are hit with a craving, fruit is a better choice than cake or chips. Also, make a fat-free dip and cut up some fresh veggies like carrots and celery and keep them in the fridge. This will give you another quick and healthy snack that you can just grab and eat during a craving.

Never go to a party, a meeting, or any event where there will be food available on an empty stomach. This will set you right up to over eat when you get there. Always eat a small meal or at least eat a good, healthy snack before you go as this will help to stop cravings from hitting you while there.

If there are certain snack foods that you really enjoy, don’t try to completely cut them out. You will only overindulge in them when you can’t control the urge to have them later. Plan these snacks into your day, and just make them snacks that you have once in a while and in moderate amounts when you do.

Remember that just because certain food items are fat-free does not mean they are calorie free. When turning to fat free snacks, be careful of how many calories they contain and adjust your portions accordingly. It is very easy to assume fat-free is “safe” and go way overboard on them.

The next time you are hit with cravings, remember these little guidelines and you will be able to deal with them without ruining your efforts to maintain healthy eating habits.

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